Trial set for former student's lawsuit against the University of the South

Trial set for former student's lawsuit against the University of the South

A federal $3 million lawsuit against the University of the South in Sewanee by a former student will go to trial July 28.

The student, listed as John Doe in court documents, sued the university in 2009 after he was forced to leave the school when another student accused him of rape.

He has denied raping the girl, listed as A.B. for confidentiality reasons in court filings.

Doe was a freshman in the fall 2008 semester when the alleged rape occurred. A.B. immediately reported it to police and campus officials but the case was never sent to the Franklin County District Attorney's office for indictment, according to the filings.

In Chattanooga today, U.S. District Court Judge Harry "Sandy" Mattice presided over the final scheduled hearing before the trial date. He agreed to continue to allow Doe to not be named and set rules for the jury selection and trial conduct.

Attorneys for both sides declined to comment on specifics of the case. In open court, both sides agreed the trial should take from four to five days.